ISP RULES: CUTTING THROUGH THE CONFUSION

LEARN WHETHER MULTIPLE ACCESS IS PERMITTED

The Annoyance:

I can’t find anything on my ISP’s web site that says I can have multiple users signed in at the same time. They don’t address the issue at all.

The Fix:

Except for AOL, you can almost certainly take it for granted that you can share your Internet connection. All of the ISPs I’m familiar with (except, as I’ve said, AOL) permit multiple users to have simultaneous access. (See the AOL annoyances later in this chapter.)

JUST CALL AND ASK!

Many people are reluctant to call their ISP support lines to inquire about multiple access permissions. They feel they’re alerting the ISP to the fact that they plan to share their Internet connection, and if the ISP doesn’t permit multiple simultaneous access, or charges extra fees, their account will be “watched.” It doesn’t work that way. The technology at the ISP either blocks access if more than one person logs in to an account, or it doesn’t. No human being can “set” or “block” multiple access on a particular account.